THE CONFLICT
THE CONFLICT
My thought is to seek to open up to you in a measure the circumstances and occasion of the Conflict, and I read this chapter because, as I understand it, it sets forth the great parties engaged, and also the great principles which are involved in it. I think that the Spirit of God would produce exercise amongst God’s people, that we may take our part in the conflict. I believe, if the persons engaged, and the principles involved in it are understood, that every true Christian heart will not fail to come forward, but I do not think that what is to be contended for is much understood. It is not this doctrine or that doctrine, it is what is in God’s mind to carry out in connection with, and through, a Man, whether it be on earth or in heaven. Directly that Man is called attention to, the conflict begins. I refer for the moment to Matthew 2. It is parallel with the opening verses of the chapter I read. You will all remember how in a most remarkable way Jesus is called attention to, as certain men from the East arrive at Jerusalem. They had light in their souls as to Christ. They had seen His star in the East; the stars are guides at night. These men were accustomed to stars, and they saw the star of Jesus in the East and came to Jerusalem, and made known to the king that they had seen the star of Him who was born King of the Jews.
Now I refer to that to show you how the conflict really begins. We may introduce the opening of Revelation 12 into Matthew 2. Here is a woman who represented the mind of God with regard to the earth. She is clothed with the sun. What a testimony! She has the moon under her feet and upon her head a crown of twelve stars. She represents Israel as the centre of God’s government on earth. There was the sun, suggesting supreme authority, and the moon, subordinate authority, and the twelve stars, administrative authority, all connected with the woman. God had His thoughts, and they all circle around this woman. How one would be exercised to convey the mind of God to souls. He has given expression to it, and He is never for one moment to be diverted from it. We know what a time we are living in, a moment of great activity, and one would appeal to the Lord’s people, that we might withdraw from it all into the mind of God.
Now I want to show you that the woman is not the real object of the enemy’s attack, though she becomes that in the end of the chapter. We can see plainly in Matthew 2 that the wrath of the wicked one was excited by the testimony of those who had seen the star of Jesus. They had seen His star in the East and they followed it, and their testimony drew forth the innate hatred of the opposer. The Man-child was there, and the Man-child is the object of attack. Directly the Man-child is mentioned in Revelation 12, His destiny is declared by the Spirit; it was He “who shall shepherd all the nations with an iron rod”. Let us think of that word shepherd, He is not to destroy, but to shepherd the nations. That word opens up a flood of light in the Scriptures. It is to be noticed that directly He is introduced by the Spirit of God you have stated what He is to do, and that draws forth the hatred of the dragon, for he would devour the Man-child. Wherever there is a movement toward Christ you will always find that there is serious opposition. The Man-child, not the woman, is the object of attack; for the dragon is prepared to devour the Man-child. All the names of the dragon are given here, for it is well to have the foe rightly identified and located.
My desire is to engage you with the Man-child;
He has a shepherd’s heart. He is caught up to God and to God’s throne, not the throne of Jerusalem; that was occupied by Herod, and Herod had not a shepherd’s heart. No occupier of any throne in this world today has a shepherd’s heart, but God’s King has a shepherd’s heart, and that Man goes up to God and to His throne. He is morally great enough to occupy God’s throne. The throne of David publicly was occupied by Herod, and he had nothing like a shepherd’s heart in him; nothing. Herod had the heart of a murderer. The dragon found his counterpart in Herod, and he has many counterparts at the present time. Herod was a ready vessel for the dragon on account of the state of his heart.
In the Spirit’s description of the dragon, we read that he has seven heads and ten horns; the ten horns are symbolical of kings. It shows us what all the kings of the earth will do in the future; they will support him who is the direct impersonation of the dragon. They will give their support to the beast to carry out the dragon’s designs in opposition to Christ. What is the secret of it? It is the state of their hearts. Herod’s heart was full of envy. The light of God had come into the dark East and illuminated these men with regard to the Man-child. The star guided them to Bethlehem, not to Jerusalem. See the devotedness of these men; they found the little Child with Mary, His mother, and they opened their treasures and they worshipped. What a testimony! Compare that with the heart of Herod, which was a ready instrument for the dragon. He would destroy the Man-child, but He is taken care of by God. He is caught up to God’s throne. What light that gives! God’s throne is occupied by Him who has a shepherd’s heart!
Now I wish to enlarge upon that. We may introduce here the death and resurrection and ascension of Christ, and His relation with His people. What [p. 4] did Christ take up to heaven? He went up to heaven with the saints on His heart. You remember the breastplate of the high priest; the high priest went into the holiest with the names of the twelve tribes on his heart. What a wonderful thought that is! Now I want to show you that the scene of the conflict is transferred from earth to heaven. If the Man-child goes up to heaven, the conflict is necessarily transferred from earth to heaven, and in a sense it centres in what is in Christ’s heart; for the anti-priest comes to light in heaven. It was not upon the earth that the dragon accused the saints. The ruthless destruction on the part of Herod was on earth, but there is nothing of that kind in heaven. What is the dragon’s opposition there? Accusation. Christ went up to heaven with the saints on His heart in order to represent them before God, and immediately the accuser appears; that is the present moment.
We are told in verse 7 that there is war in heaven. We can quite understand that. If the introduction of the Man-child brought about conflict on earth, it must necessarily follow into heaven. So there was war in heaven. Now what I would say, beloved friends, is, that we are of the heavenly warriors, and our qualifications for the conflict have all to be learnt from Christ. I make bold to say that our understanding of what is in the heart of Christ is the secret of our qualification. He went into heaven with the saints in His heart; they were all there; not one omitted. The affection that Christ had for the saints was intolerant of the accuser in heaven. There was war in heaven, not now upon earth, for the scene is changed. I have often thought that a good warrior selects his own battle-field. God has had the scene of conflict transferred from earth to heaven, but war on earth will begin when God resumes His relationship with Jerusalem.
Now I want to engage you with the greatness of [p. 5] the position. We have Michael introduced. He is presented as leader, and he has his followers. I do not pretend to interpret the passage, but I call your attention to this, that the Lord Jesus is the great Leader of the war. Gideon said, as you will remember, “As I do, so shall ye do”. If you would be a warrior, you must learn from the leader. Joshua was a leader, but he had to learn from the great Leader how to be a soldier in the ranks. You remember how Joshua, when he was by Jericho, was met by a man with a drawn sword, and Joshua said, “Art thou for us or our adversaries?” What a reply he got. The us is the secret of all partyism. The reply is, “Nay, but as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come”. “Loose thy shoe from off thy foot, for the place whereon thou standest is holy”. It is not a question of us, it is a question of the Lord’s host and the Captain. It was as if He said to Joshua, “Are you with me?” What an appeal! “Nay, but as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come”. That is the position.
To return to our scripture in Revelation, we are told that, “there was war in the heaven”. Michael fought. He had contended with the devil for the body of Moses, and here he contends with Satan for the heavenly position. The issue is tremendous. Satan is cast out, and his angels cast out too. It is a war for the complete and entire clearance of the heavens from all that is adverse to God’s people. The result is, “Now is come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God”. Why? The accuser of our brethren is cast out. The accuser. Now notice what is said about him, “who accused them before our God day and night”. That is what the dragon is doing. It is a question for us to decide as to whether we are with the great High Priest, or with the anti-priest. The great High Priest has the saints in His heart, and the anti-priest accuses [p. 6] them before God. It is a terrible thing to be an accuser of God’s people. We little realise how such influences in heaven affect us here. The apostle said, “we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places”. That is what we are called to. I have no doubt it is a great privilege to take our place in the ranks of the warriors with the great Leader of the war.
Now I will touch just for a moment upon that which is to mark the warriors. You remember the passage that is often quoted from Ephesians 6. We are told there to “Put on the whole armour of God”. In telling us about this armour, the apostle speaks firstly of our loins, then of our breasts, then of our feet. What exercising thoughts these are! Our loins are to be “girt about with truth”. What a servant a man is whose loins are girt about with truth! Such service is most blessed. Saints suffer enormously from having their affections loose. How intensely practical to be girt about with truth; the affections braced up as it were, and then the breast is taken care of; and you must have a good conscience. Satan has no opportunity of attack if righteousness is maintained. And then see that your feet are right. How many of the saints’ feet are found in by-paths. Our feet are to be”shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace”. That does not mean that we are all evangelists, but we are to be prepared to speak a word to souls. And then we have to take the shield of faith. That is a wonderful thing. I cannot enlarge upon it, but it is a wonderful thing if you are called into the ranks of the Leader of the war. Faith quenches all the fiery darts of the wicked one. Then you have the helmet of salvation on your head. You lift up your head. You need never be ashamed in the light of what Christ is, and in the [p. 7] hope of His appearing. Then you pray always for all saints, you embrace all, but especially those who are engaged in the testimony of the gospel, and the mystery.
Now see the issue! There, is complete clearance of the heavens. What a triumph! What can be compared with the result. The accuser of the brethren cast out; he who accused them day and night before God. Then the celebration is, that “Now is come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ”. The occasion of praise is for the inhabitants of heavenly places, the saints of the present dispensation, the companions of Him who has been caught up there.
In closing, I just want to touch upon the change in the sphere of warfare. Satan being cast out, there is increased activity, not now against the Man-child, but against the woman who bore Him, but she is taken care of; she is given wings. Wings are symbolical of power. God gives her power; He takes care of her for three and a half years in the desert. Then we have the remnant of her seed who keep the commandments of God.
Let us now look at the remnant in a practical way. What is said of them is, that they “keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus”. In other words, they have come to learn of Christ. They are not heavenly warriors; they never will be. Their warfare is through their sufferings; they are persecuted and they suffer. Why? Because they keep the commandments of God. What a result there will be for God! When you consider what that nation is now, what has been its history, and what it will be. Judah bore the Man-child, the Firstborn, and all that follow take character from the first. You remember Isaiah alludes to it in chapter 66. “Before she travailed, she brought forth, before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child ... as [p. 8] soon as Zion travailed she brought forth her children”. They are brought forth after Christ. They keep the commandments of God. How did they learn them? They learn from Christ. The remnant keep the commandments of God. A moment ago I was alluding to how God is going to resume His relation with Israel. God will clothe Israel with all His thoughts; the sun, supreme authority; the moon, subordinate authority; and the stars, administrative authority. God would clothe His people, with all these wondrous thoughts of His. The remnant set forth the subjective state. In that remnant God has placed. His testimony, and now Satan attacks them. He persecuted the remnant of her seed “who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus”.
It is well that we should understand that we are at the end of the dispensation. The occasion of the conflict is just as it was at the beginning, there is no change. God never gives up His thoughts. God’s people on earth cherish every divine thought. It is not simply that we are externally correct. Every divine thought is centred in the Man-child. Has He a place in your heart? It is not merely that you love Him because He has saved you from your sins, but God’s thought is that the Person who is the centre of all His thoughts should have a place in our hearts. And directly Christ has that place in your heart, you may depend upon it, you become the object of the enemy’s attack. That is what I understand to be the testimony.
What the Spirit contends for today is the maintenance of the mind of God. God has not given up one thought, either in regard to Christ in heaven, or the assembly, or Israel upon earth. The saints have the Lord Jesus in their hearts as the centre of all divine thoughts. The great advantage of instruction is seen in what the assembly can say when Christ appears and the challenge is made. “I am the root and offspring of David, and the bright and morning star”. That supposes that the saints have light; and their answer shows that they have light. They say, “Come”. That is what the Spirit supports.
“And the Spirit and the bride say, Come”. Christ is the centre of all divine thoughts. We have to see to it that we give Him full place in our hearts. I have often said, ‘If you look after the principles God will look after the people’. You stand by His principles and He will bring the people in. Look at Enoch! He walked with God, and he saw the Lord coming with ten thousand of His saints. Then God finds Abraham and calls him alone and He blesses him. But Abraham was not to be alone. He looked up at the stars and his seed was to be as the number of them, countless. We are not to be alone.
Beloved friends, I have expressed to you these few thoughts, to present what is involved in the conflict. I would seek to enlist every heart as to our place in it. If you stand by God’s principles, God will bring in the people. May the Lord help us to stand.